


Sprinkle the Ocean Over My Head

by mikuridaigo



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Terror in Resonance, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-08
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-16 15:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2275578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikuridaigo/pseuds/mikuridaigo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Rei Ryugazaki was an A plus student and track star at his previous school. His plans were to go to Tokyo University for a degree in physics. He had an older brother, already in college, and was the son of two loving parents, one a doctor and the other a professor. They had high expectation for their kids, but loved them nonetheless.</i>
</p>
<p>  <i>Rei Ryugazaki was also fake. </i></p>
<p> <br/>With only a video and a riddle as a warning, Tokyo is attacked by terrorists, spreading paranoia in the city. Haruka Nanase's constricting life is soon pulled apart by the two new kids in his school, one who's smile is as bright as the sun, and the other who's eyes is cold like ice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling, part 1.

**Author's Note:**

> A tumblr post photoshoped Nine and Twelve to look like Rei and Nagisa. So why not a terrorist AU? I hope you enjoy. This has not been beta'd, however, so I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. 
> 
> This AU will also not completely follow Terror In Resonance (in the later chapters), but the riddles will stay the same. Despite it being a terrorist AU, there will not be graphic description of violence written.

The city was loud. Streets were always filled with people, heavy feet stomping on the pavement, or cars honking at one another. People were continuously in a rush, never paying attention to anyone else. It was their selfishness that caused the noisy congestion creating a domino effect that touched everyone.

Haru hated the city.

He hated the noise and the rush. He hated being pushed on the streets so someone can find their way to work or school. He hated feeling squeezed into the crowd, unable to move or breathe.

He wished he was allowed to stay in Iwatobi for the rest of his youth. Haru was born in Iwatobi and raised by his parents and grandmother, until his parents were transferred to Tokyo for work. They allowed him to stay with his grandmother, but by the end of his third year in middle school she died. The house was under the Nanase family, so he tried convincing them to allow him to stay for high school. Of course they said no.

Haru was the quiet kid, unable to make long term friendships. The closest friend he had was Kisami in middle school, but they didn’t live close and Kisami went outside Iwatobi for high school. Not wanting Haru to be alone, his parents forced him into the city.

Living under his parents meant living under their rules. His grandmother was a kind and gentle woman, who believed “so long as you’re happy, you may do whatever you like.” Haru loved swimming on his own terms. He was part of the swim club at the public pool and middle school, both facilities letting him swim freestyle. But with his parents, there was no freedom.

He was given a schedule preparing him for college. Mondays were cram school, Tuesdays and Wednesdays swimming practice, Thursdays cram school, Fridays art classes and swimming, and Saturday swimming.

They only meant well, Haru misleadingly thought, by giving him a schedule that allowed swimming more than cram school, but it was still constricting. He was also pushed to do more strokes than freestyle, that way scouts of different universities will accept him. He’d said before he only wanted to swim the way he wants, which translated to “I don’t want to succeed” by his parents.

Haru wanted to believe they were looking out for him the best way they know how, but his relationship with them felt cold. It was only about school, practice, and work. They never asked how his day was, or if he enjoyed practice. It felt like a business.

His first year in high school went just as plainly as middle school. School, practice, homework, bed. A routine so structured, so boring, and so confining. Swimming stopped being fun for him, so by his second year he quit the swim team a month before prefectural and occupied his freedom by wandering the city till nightfall. Eventually his parents caught on he stopped practicing, resulting in angry scolding. They began to threaten an escort to ensure Haru will go to his practices. Sometimes he wished they’d just disown him so they would leave him alone. It never happened. They kept pushing.

To avoid his parents in the morning, Haru began leaving very early for school. He’d arrive just when the gates open for the teachers to come in and set up for the day.

Haru hung out at the outdoor pool. He never went in, but just stayed by the water. He missed his walks in middle school, because he could gaze at the ocean. The pool gave him that same feeling of content and relaxation. It was tamed, unlike the ocean, so it was quiet.

Quiet until the other students started coming in, specifically the guys who picked on him.

Apparently in high school it’s weird to be quiet and not have friends. It left him an open target for the bullies since no one was around to help him. The first time they found him was on the rooftop, where he ate lunch alone. They flicked his head, messed with his backpack and threw his lunch off the roof. Sometimes they would throw his shoes into the toilet, or put tacks in his seat. Haru had the ability to fight back, but figured it was too much effort. It bothered him, sure, but figured it was another obstacle to get through. Who would help him anyway? His parents who only cared about a career? Or the teachers who barely knew him?

When spring came around they found him by the pool. Haru didn’t move as they poked at his head and said mean things to him. “Hey you used to be on the swim team, what happened? Don’t you like swimming?” One of them taunted.

For once Haru did speak. “I like swimming.”

That was their cue to remove Haru’s shoes, drag him to the diving board, and block his exit. They kept yelling at him to jump in, or they’ll throw his back pack and shoes in the water too. And as much as Haru wanted to swim, he only brought one pair of clothes to school, meaning he’d have to go through the entire day soaking wet. He stopped wearing his swimsuit under his clothes when he moved to the city, because the only form of water he had was the shower. No bathtub to soak in.

“Hey! What are you guys doing?” On the fence was a blond boy, who Haru hadn’t seen before. He was trying to get over the fence, but his shirt got caught. “Oh! I know! This is bullying right?” Haru cringed. What was with him?

One of the guys smirked. “He used to be a swimmer, so we wanted to see what he can do. Right Haruka-chan?” They pushed his back, making him lose balance for a second.

The blond finally got his shirt free and was standing on the fence, balancing himself with a nearby tree branch. “Really?”

Haru’s eyes were locked onto the water. “Yes. I used to swim.”

“Whoa! Me too!” The guy threw his backpack aside, leaped onto the tree branch and jumped into the pool. The splash slightly soaked Haru, while the other guys took a step back. He submerged out of the water with a smile on his face, glistening with the water. “Water feels so nice!”

Haru was taken aback by his smile. It was bright, like the reflection of the sun. He was happy despite being drenched, and so carefree.

The fence rattled. Another guy stood on the other side, with his hand on the wires. Unlike the blonde’s smile, this guy eyes cold like ice. It made Haru a little uncomfortable. “Join us! It’s fun!” The blond waved.

One of the guys scoffed and started walking away. “Whatever, class is going to start soon.” He picked up Haru’s shoes and tossed them in. “Have fun with wet feet Haruka-chan!”

Once they were gone the blond reached for Haru’s shoes and passed it back to him. “What cruel boys. You shouldn’t let them do that to you.”

Haru took his shoes and backpack and started to walk away. He had his spare shoes, thankfully, but now his locker was going to be wet. “Thank you.” He whispered when he entered the building.

A few minutes later the bell rang and all the students crowded the halls to get to their class. Haru was one of the first students inside, giving him time to inspect his desk for any more pranks. Seeing it unsullied, he sat down, took out his notebook and began his morning by staring out the window, wishing he could be out in the ocean.

Eventually the room was filled with the other students and the teacher. Walking behind the teacher was the blond, still dripping wet with the chlorinated water and his giant smile. “Uh… this is our new transfer student, Nagisa Hazuki.”

Nagisa raised his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Hearing his voice again made Haru take his eyes from the outside and stare at the blond, who seemed totally unfazed by his wet state. One of his bullies kicked his chair to get his attention. “Huh, so the blondie is in our class. Ah! He has a girly name like you, Haruka-chan.”

Haru looked down at his notebook. He wanted to leave.

* * *

“I said NOT to attract attention!” Nine reprimand as he crossed his arms and looked away from his partner. “You have _my_ entire class asking about this ‘Nagisa-chan’ who comes to class all soaking wet!”

On their lunch break, the two met on the rooftop to let Twelve dry off quicker. The blond laid out on the concrete, letting the hot sun arid his clothes. “It’s not that bad Rei-chan! Besides, isn’t being the ‘quiet, mysterious new kid’ also attracting attention?”

“Huh?!”

He giggled. “I heard some girls in the hallway saying: ‘Rei-kun is so cute! I like that mysterious aspect of him!’”

Nine blushed and pushed his glasses up. “Tch, you’re just joking, no one is saying that.”

“We’re pretty popular transfer students. A little hard to keep our cover, huh Rei-chan?”

Frowning, Nine turned his gaze to the city, focusing on a large government building seen from many blocks away. “Stop calling me Rei-chan. It’s not my name.”

“Aw, but it’s a good name for you, even if it’s kind of girly. I also like Nagisa; I think you should call me Nagisa for now on.”

“Fine, but I’ve never called you that before so if I slip up-” The door to the rooftop opened, forcing Rei to stop speaking. On the other side was Haruka with a blue bento in his hands.

“Haruka-chan!”Twe- Nagisa exclaimed as he sat up. “You eat lunch up here?”

Haruka closed the door and walked up to Nagisa. “Yes.” He simply answered.

Nagisa’s smile never seemed to fade. “Cool! I like it up here because there’s no shade from the sun. What about you?”

The former swimmer opened his bento which only contained rice and mackerel. “I like the view.”

“Hehe, so does Rei-chan, don’t you?”

Nine took one last look at the building before sitting down with his partner. “Yeah, the city looks beautiful from up here.” He reached into his backpack and pulled a purple bento for himself and sweet custard bread for Nagisa. 

Nagisa happily ate his bread, despite it not really being lunch. “So Haruka-chan, are you in any clubs?” He tried to hide his irritation at Nagisa. They were not going to be enrolled for so long, so why was he trying to befriend him?

“No… can you please not call me Haruka-chan?”

“Oh sorry! Because those guys say it huh? I think chan is a term for endearment but they use it to taunt you.”

Haruka shook his head. “No… Haruka. I don’t really like my name. Haru is fine.”

Nagisa pouted. “What? But you were given that name! Shouldn’t you be proud of it?”

He shrugged. “I was always made fun of because of it, Haru sounds better anyway.”

The blond pointed his bread at Haruka. “Hm, I think Haruka is a nice name! But I’ll call you Haru-chan if you want me to, okay?”

Nine could have sworn he saw Haruka’s lips move up, almost smiling. “Okay, Nagisa.”

Nagisa laughed when Haruka said his name. It fitted him perfectly, Nine thought. “So any clubs?”  

“No. I used to do swimming training after school but…”

“But…?”

The door opened again, this time several boys came through. Haruka’s bullies.

“Oh! Haruka-chan made friends!” One of them strides to Haruka and poked at his lunch. “Ah so boring! Fish again! Our Haruka-chan won’t grow if that’s all he eats.”

Another one made his way to Nagisa. “Sweet bread? I want some!” As he reached for Nagisa’s lunch, Nine grabbed the guys hand and threw him on the ground.

The guys gasped in bewilderment, which soon turned to anger. Another one was ready to lunge himself at Nine, who easily avoided him, then tripped over his fallen friend. Nine glared at the head bully. “Leave us alone, please.”

The guy sneered, but turned his back. The two on the floor scrambled on their feet to follow him. “This isn’t over, Haruka-chan.”

When they left, Haruka looked like he was finally able to breathe. Nagisa crossed his arms. “Those guys are so mean. You need to fight back, Haru-chan.”

Nine pushed his glasses up and stared at the building. So much for not attracting attention.

* * *

In a dusty and cluttered room, Rin Matsuoka leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the table. Settled in his hand was a book titled “How to Succeed in Relays” and a picture of a swimmer doing the butterfly stroke. He was chewing on a power bar while reading. To his right was his old roommate and friend Nitori who was now his assistant in the records division in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Their job was simple, file through and organize the records.

Rin never thought he’d end up doing the busy work for a police department, but he eventually grew to it and accepted his place. At 16 he joined the Olympics winning several medals in his career. He retired early at 24 after his old swimming captain Seijuurou introduced him to the police world. He started as a volunteer and eventually went through training to become a full time police officer.

He had special talent of detective work, solving cases left and right and bringing peace and justice to the city. This lasted for another two years, until a bombing case that left him injured and three dead. Rin blamed himself for being reckless and retired from that as well, satisfying his days and paycheck by sorting through old files. He knew he could go back to swimming, but with the lack of practice and the injury he wasn’t sure if he’d last that long.

Still, Rin tried to look at the positives. He won his medals and he helped many families with his work. And at 27 he could still find another job or do something fun until society tells him to settle down and find a family.

Nitori laughed at his laptop. “There are so many cute cat videos!” He clicked around but stopped at a video that was not part of the cat category.

Two teens were wearing odd festival masks. One had giant yellow eyes with an “S” on the forehead, while the other one had a gray mask with a beak and black eyes. They were posing at the camera, and calling themselves ‘Butterfly and Penguin’. Very uncreative, if you asked Nitori. “Huh, look at this senpai.” He turned his laptop to Rin who wasn’t too interested in the video. His eyes were still on the book but he was listening.

“This Friday by 3 PM Tokyo will be in darkness.” ‘Butterfly’ said.

‘Penguin’ raised his hands and in a giddy voice exclaimed: “And fireworks will go off! It’ll be pretty!” The video ended.

“What do you think senpai?”

“Think what?”

“’Tokyo will be in darkness’” Do you think they’re right?”

Rin rolled his eyes. “Tch, just some dumb teenagers.” Nitori shrugged and continued his internet search for more cat videos. Even though he believed what was played was just some dumb teenagers, Rin couldn’t help but be curious. Were they planning to set off fireworks in the middle of the day? That would be a pain to find later. He rolled his shoulders and continued to read.


	2. Falling, part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again un-beta'd so I apologize for any mistakes. And if you haven't please watch Terror in Resonance. The latest episode was just heartbreaking.

Rei Ryugazaki was an A plus student and track star at his previous school. His plans were to go to Tokyo University for a degree in physics. He had an older brother, already in college, and was the son of two loving parents, one a doctor and the other a professor. They had high expectation for their kids, but loved them nonetheless.

Rei Ryugazaki was also fake. A name and profile he created just to get into the school.

But the life of Rei Ryugazaki sounded nice. Something stable and normal. His only worries would be his grades or his performance on the team, nothing like Nine’s previous.

Sometimes Nine dreamt of that place. The high ceilings, white walls, white uniforms, and bland food. Everything was simple and plain and alike. Most of the time, he dreamt of running away.

He dreamt of a small child running to the gates and climbing up. The boy looked back and called for a girl who had fallen. But she never stood up. She was engulfed by smoke.

That’s usually where the dream ended. As always he woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air with blurred vision. It took a couple of minutes for him to recognize his current location: a studio apartment just a few blocks from school. He was on the bottom bunk of the bed, lying on a firm mattress with a soft comforter decorated with a butterfly print. He was in a safe location, nothing like that place.

He put his glasses on and went to the balcony. Opening the sliding door awoke his partner.

“Rei-chan?” Twelve- no, Nagisa asked. They only had their new ‘identities’ for two days, but the blond was already too acquainted with it. “Did you have that dream again, Rei-… Nine?”

Rei Ryugazaki was a much nicer name. Rei Ryugazaki was a person. “Rei… you’re right Rei is a good name.”

“Then did you have that dream again, Rei-chan?”

He took a deep breath of fresh air before closing the door. Rei looked up at Nagisa and smiled. “It’s okay, go back to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.”

Nagisa didn’t look convinced but didn’t pry further, knowing that Rei never spoke of his dreams. “Goodnight, Rei-chan.”

“Goodnight Nagisa.”

He wondered if Rei and Nagisa had a normal life.

* * *

Friday was the day of their field trip to a government building. The purpose was for the students to see the different jobs offered in those offices, and why it was the central hub for all government work. But most of the class stood by the windows and took pictures of themselves, clearly enjoying their day off. 

Haru watched his classmates fool around. His hands balled in to a fist and angrily walked away to an empty corridor that was closed for cleaning. He hid in the janitor’s closet and sank down.

The day he met Nagisa and Rei felt to be his ‘calmer’ days, or afternoons at least. Nagisa was a chatterbox, going off about rock hopper penguins and his three older sisters who used to pick on him when he was a kid. Rei was the quieter one but listened intensely like Haru. It was nice, to have people to talk to and who wouldn't avoid him, or pick at him.

But that afternoon he was escorted out of the school by his father and forced to swim practice. In a slight rebellion he purposely slowed his time on every other stroke except freestyle. It only resulted in more yelling from his parents, telling him that he is throwing his future away and he will be nothing but a burden to the family and the rest of the world.

The morning before the field trip one of the guys was able to push his buttons, starting with the escort from the day before. “Haruka-chan needs his parents to pick him up like a child! Get in trouble with mommy and daddy? You can’t walk yourself home? Eh, so useless.”

Useless and burden kept running through his head. He wasn't trying to be a deadbeat. He just wanted to do things his way and his way alone. Haru can be a functioning member of society, but it felt so wrong to conform and become a puppet.

He could never make out anyway faces in the crowds. Everyone was a copy, created as workers to a giant system. There was no freedom, no creativity, and no identity.

Haru closed his eyes and covered his ears, wishing the world just _stop_.

The light in the closet went out, startling Haru. Outside he could hear the people’s voices growing loud with concern, before someone finally said to evacuate the building due to a power outage. He scoffed and remained seated. The doors would be crowded, no use trying to get out if he’ll be stuck with people. He decided he would wait it for a couple more minutes, so he can escape with ease.

* * *

Nagisa held the strange bird-rock plush in his hands. “It’s pretty cute if you don’t look at its eyes.”

Rei winced. “Nagisa, you have a strange taste of ‘cute’.”

The blond smiled. “Ah, too bad they’ll have to go. Is everything set in place?”

Rei checked his watch. “In three, two, one…” the lights went out of the building, and he imagined the rest of the city too. The giant screens in the main square will be black, the trains will stop, and stop lights blanking, causing a huge traffic jam. In just a couple of seconds a huge commotion up roared and they took this opportunity to split away, Nagisa going through the hallways and Rei to the higher levels. They only had 26 minutes until the backup generators restored power, just enough time for their main event.

They placed more of the strange bird plushies in the hallways and trashcans of the building, making sure there was at least a couple on every floor.

It was around this time Haruka decided to leave the closet. Despite having many windows, the building was very dark with the staircases illuminated by the emergency exit sign. On his way to the staircase he found Nagisa, holding one of the birds. “Nagisa?”

The blond turned around with a grin. Reflecting against the green exit light, his grin looked more sinister than playful, making Haruka a little nervous. “Haru-chan, what are you doing here?” Haruka wasn't sure how to answer, so Nagisa tossed the bird to him. “Don’t let go of him till 3:20. By that time you should have approximately 5 minutes to make a decision. If you make it, meet me at the 2nd floor west hall they’ll be a big hole just for you!”

“A-a decision?”

“Whether you want to live, or die. But if you want to live make sure to toss the bird very, very far away from you. Bye!” Nagisa jumped from the staircase and disappeared, leaving Haruka completely speechless.

Outside, Rei stood on a pedestrian bridge, staring at the tower. Looking at his watch, it was just about time for the bombs to go off. The entire building was evacuated, so there should be no fatalities. Before he hits the button, Nagisa pokes his cheek. “Everything according to plan?”

Nagisa puffed his cheeks. “Eh… there’s a slight obstacle. Haruka Nanase.”

Rei raised his eyebrow. “He didn’t evacuate?”

“Nope, caught him by the staircase. I gave him Iwatobi-chan.”

“Tch, that’s what you’re calling the bird?”

“Yeah! It fits for some reason. Did you know Haru-chan was from a town called Iwatobi?”

Rei hesitated to push the button, but kept it in his hand. “What did you tell him? Actually, where is he?”

“I said it’s his choice to meet me at the exit… which reminds me you should probably set off some of those TNT bombs so he can have an exit.” Rei did just that. The plushies were burned by the fire, and then several explosions would shake the building. They could hear the crowd’s gasps turn into screams as they ran away from the building.

Rei raised his voice. “You should have just gotten him out of there! He shouldn’t be forced to make a decision like that.”

Nagisa looked at his watch. He only had two more minutes before he had to meet Haru at their meeting place, otherwise Rei would tear the entire building apart. “Have you seen his eyes though? They’re a beautiful blue, yet he looks so depressed and sad. He needs a push to get him to the right direction.”

“That doesn’t make sense Nagisa… he’s not like us. We can make that decision but he can’t.”

Nagisa began to walk away. “You’ll see. He can make the choice even if he’s an ordinary person. Maybe that can help ease your dreams.”

* * *

In the building Haru stared down at the creepy bird. He squeezed it and felt a metal box inside. The building shook with bits of concrete from the ceiling falling on him. There was another explosion, making him realize there were bombs inside.

Nagisa’s words didn’t make sense to him. Why did he have the choice to live or die now? He was sure he could find the exit on his own and get out with little injuries, but then it dawned on him, did he want to leave?

He was still in the staircase, immobile since Nagisa left. The building could crash down on him in any moment, ending his youth. Ending the pressures placed on him. Ending his future to be a puppet.

That thought scared him. He hated the city, he hated the people, he hated the pressure, but he didn’t hate his life. Ending it wasn’t going to free him.

Haru threw the plush aside and dashed for the exit specified by Nagisa. There was a gaping hole with smoke coming from the sides. One of the bombs must have gone off there. And on the streets was Nagisa with his motorcycle. “Jump! It’s not that far!”

Haru stepped back, ready to fall but then hesitated. The bullies’ voices echoed in his head, telling him to jump into the pool. He thought of Nagisa who jumped from a tree and into the pool, and was smiling brightly. The fire trucks finally arrived at the scene, readying their hoses to put out any fires.

Nagisa was waiting at the bottom with his arms out. With his eyes closed, Haru made the leap.

* * *

When the blackout initially occurred, Rin was on the office couch reading a magazine. Nitori pouted and looked at the lights. “Huh, a blackout?”

“Tokyo will be in darkness at 3 PM…” Rin muttered.

“Eh, but you said that was a joke. Could it be a coincidence?”

Rin didn’t believe in coincidences. “Nitori, can you pull up the video on your phone?” Nitori did as he was asked, and the two rewatched the strange video. As they said, Tokyo will be dark by 3 PM, then fireworks were supposed to occur. Neither of them thought anything else of the video and the blackout, until they felt the ground shake.

“An earthquake?” Nitori asked.

The police department began running outside and makes frantic phone calls. They asked for the fire department, and bomb squad, and SWAT. “What’s going on?” Rin asked one of the workers.

“Bombs are going off! The government building is collapsing!”  

Both men were eye widened, completely shaken at the news. ‘Penguin’s’ voiced echoed in Rin’s ears. _And fireworks will go off! It’ll be pretty!_


End file.
